Water main fixed in South Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - At 2 a.m. Wednesday, water crews were able to repair a water main that broke Monday night.

The City of Austin had issued a special mandatory water restriction Tuesday evening for residents in South Austin, after a major water-main break caused concern for water pressure, a ban that has since been lifted.

City leaders said residents south of the Colorado River had to stop all outdoor watering, including car washes and lawns until further notice when the break occurred.

The restriction came as crews try to repair the line at 2101 Walsh Tarlton Lane after a contractor accidentally drilled a 4-inch hole in the pipe Monday.

Austin Water Utility Director Greg Meszaros said residents should not see much, if any, water loss.  However, he still urged conservation into Wednesday.

Reservoirs continued to rise throughout the day after the utility pumped water from other stations, and Meszaros said that is buying residents valuable time before water runs out.

Crews originally said it could take anywhere from 12 to 48 hours to repair a nearly 6-foot water main line in South Austin that feeds 60 percent of South Austin's daily drinking water. The line runs directly from the Ullrich Water Treatment Plant in West Austin.

AWU officials said a contractor working on soil samples for a new water main line missed clearly marked directions not to drill in the area.

City officials said they intend to seek damages from the contractor.

Utility officials said they stored up to 60 million gallons of water in reservoirs Monday night to give South Austin residents an extra 12 hours of time to repair the line.

Meszaros said the water loss could be up to seven million gallons of water.  He also said residents would not need to boil their water once water pressure is returned, unless the pressure reaches zero.

The outdoor watering schedule is still in effect, however. Wednesday is the normal watering day for residential customers with odd-numbered addresses and outdoor irrigation is allowed only between 7 p.m. and 10 a.m.